What does 1m of welding REALLY cost you?

This is something we should all give some thought to. Compared to labour costs, gas, power and consumables, purchase of a new welding unit pales into significance, however, the tendency is to concentrate on the price of the machine and forget what happens next. 

Particularly if we look at labour costs, which can be pushed through the roof by choosing the wrong, cheap, welding equipment. Think about it: we build welding machines designed to make your life and work easier. And for this, we charge you a whole 5cm. 

"Better good and sound than bad and unreliable"

Realistically, 76cm working time. As a rule, a 'talented welder' will put in a good 1907 hours a year. That's just little less than 40 hours a week over a standard 48 work year. (Minus 4 weeks annual leave) We didn't account for "sickies" in this calculation. 

If your 'talented welder' were to use a less 'talented' welding unit, which would reduce his work output by roughly 8%. That makes up to 152.56 hours LOST. We'll also assume an hourly wage of $30. That adds up to $4575 every year in LOST revenue!... And the fact that this type of welding equipment is written off on an average of every 5 years, means that the whole deal will save you $22,877 if you were to purchase a 'talented' welding unit. Not to mention the effect on your nerves! So perhaps you are now understanding 'Better good and sound than bad and unreliable'.